Mining machine



',Feb. 8,1927.

.T. E. PRAY MINING MACHINE 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. SQ 1924 NSI E YTHOMAS E. PRAY, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, l y l ,I c y A, I

COMPANY, or* CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPOR'ATI'ONO'F'ILLINOIsL y fESCEAss'IeNon: froepomaii'N' MANUACTRING MINING MACHINE.

Application led December 30, 1924; SerialIQo.` 758,938'.

This invention relates to improvements in mining machines and moreparticularly to mining machines of the low vein type, so called becauseof their ability to be operated in rooms having relatively low ceilingsand to cut close to the floor.

It is to be understoodl that machines of the type herein disclosed aredesigned to be advanced transversely of the mine wall and from right toleft, with the body or main portion ofthe machine standing substantiallyat right angles to the wall face. The cutter bar extends fromvtheforward' end of the machine, and vinto the wall or vein being cut, thecutter chain carried thereby carrying'- the cuttings outwardly from thekorf and into a space in the forward part ofthe machine body.

To clear t-he ycuttings as they are removed, is the purpose of thedevice embodying the present invention, the same acting in conjunctionwith' the cutter chain, to deliver the cuttingsI clear of the vmachineas the cutting. progresses, as will now be described 1n connection withthe accompanying. drawings, 1n whichf Figure 1 is av top plan view ofthe machine with the top wall of the frame housing removed; y

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the machine with the side wallot the frame housing broken away ;V and Figure 3 is a cross sectionalviewtaken on line' 3 3 of Figure. 2. c

The machine embodying the invention consists generally of a framehousing 1, in the form of a rectangular casing, elongated lengthwise ofthemachine .and relatively reduced inheight. Just behind the housing. 1,is the motor housing 2, a separate casing, containing the motor 3. Theframe and motor housings are joined: end to end, both being" -bolted toa bottoni-plate or pan t,- on which the machine slides on the-minefloor. As-clearlyshown in Figures 2v and. 3, the housings are elevatedabove the bottom plate, there being a space between the bottom walls 1aand 2a of the housingsand the plate, vary.- ingfrom about a quarter ofthef` total height otfthel machine lbetween theA motor housing and thebottom plate'ftoa little more than half throughout the 'forward end ofthe machine. and adjacent the path? oftheycutt'er chain 5, lwhichi is'carriedy Ion" the' cutter ybar @projecting fromben'eath the forward endof thel machine af distance of 8 vor 1Q feet. The cutter chain isendless and consists of links carrying suitable cuttingy tools or mem-Vi berS- The forward.v end vof the cutterVV bar carries an' Idle sprocket(not shown in detail) on which the chain travels in. changingydirection. Immediately beyond the rear of thecutter bar and centrally ofthe-'frame housing is another sprocket 7,: likewise carrying the cutterchain, this' sprocket being driven by mechanism. operatively connectedwith.y the motor 3, as follows:

Extending lengthwise of the frame housing-is a main drive shaft 8,supportedrat its ends in bearings 9, 9, near each end of the housing.The armature shaft ofthe motor is extended through the adjacent endwalls of the housings, into the frame housing,' and carries at its endaspurgear 10. TheI main drive shaft 8k carries a spur gear 'which'meshes with the spur gear 11, said shaft being offset above the axis ofthe armature shaft asshown'inFigiure 3. 1

Loosely mounted in the main shaftS andy at its forward end is a sleeve12, .having an integral bevel pinion 13 at-its forward end and clutchteeth 14; at its rear end.V The pinion 13 meshes with and vdrives abevel gear 15 keyed to the upperaendlof .avertical stub shaft 16,journalled in aY sleeve bearing17 cast integral with the bottom. wall ofthe frame housing.` At thev lower end of the stub shaft 16 is thecutterchain driving sprocket 7, already mentioned. Clutch mechanism isprovided for .interrupting the. movement of. the cutter chain" and`consisting' of a shiftable Aclutch sleeve 18,

keyed Vto t-he main drive shaft 8, adjacent,

the pinion sleeve 12, said clutclrsleeve having kclutclr teethfla at itsforward end adapted to engage 4the complementary Vteeth on the pinionsleeve 12., 1

. Clutch shiftingmechanismconsisting of a idler 27a mounted idlerrmeshing with a'spur gear 28 on the Ydrive shaft 23. At the opposite endof the lshaft 26 is mounted a brake drum 29 and at its forward end,ymeshing vwith a worin wheelV 25,.V carried on a transverse shaft 26immediately below, said shaft carrying al spur gear 27 at one end,meshing with an on a stub shaft 27'), said hand operated brake band 30,but since these parts are not intimately connected with thecuttingaction of the machine they need not be described in greaterdetail. f

Referring now to the vmechanism embody- Ying"theimprovement ofthepresent invention, the same'consistsof `a reciprocating conveyor 31,located vfor the most part in the spacel *betweenV the motor lhousingand 'the bottomv plate, and extends from aA pointjust i .rearwardlyofthe cutter chain to the rear lo l' `of the machine.

end of l.the inacliine Where Van' opening is provided the full widt-hoftheA space between the bottom plate and the mot-or ihousing. Thisreciprocating` conveyor consists of two endwise movable bars 32, 32,.spaced above the bottom,l plate, and` extending parallelY with eachother on opposite sides of thelongitudin'al spacebeneath the motorhousingfv These bars are slidably supported in pairs'ofguide blocks 33,33, fixed to the bottom plateneai' the ends ofthe bars, said blockshaving guideways in whichV the bars ride. Extending between the bars 32,32,

varea lseries of parallel transverse rods 34,

spacedfapartequally after the manner of the rungs of a ladder.Journalled .on these rods are a'series ofV scraperblades 35, eX-tendingpractically Ythe full width between the side bars,with their`lower edges engag- Y l ing thesurface of the bottom plate 4, in aposition slightlyinclined toward the rear formed by VVintegral tubularAsleeve 351 eX- tendi'ng lengthwise of the blades, just below the top .yedges thereof.

Reciprocatingmotion is impartedV to the conveyor `from the inotor', bythe following Vmechanism:

Journalled in a horizontal bearing 36, offset a short distance below andto oneyside of the axisof the armature shaft, is a counter shaft 37,having a spur gear .38,

' meshing with the motor drive pinion 10,

and at its other or forward end witha worm 'l y39.` Immediately belowthe worinBQ, is a transverse counter shaft 40, extending' crossc wise oftherframe liousingbelow its bottom wall la, and'supported just inwardlyfrom its ends by means of journal bearings 41,

41, depending from said bottom wall la.

Keyedl to the shaft 40, is a worm wheel 42,

meshingwith the worm 39, and at its ends "are 'cr'anksdiscs 42a, 42a.

v43,- 43 are pivotally connected with' the Connecting rods crankA discsand extending rearwardly and downwardlyV therefrom, .each rod V.havingThe journal bearing isV pivotal connection at its lower end with each ofthe reciprocating bars 32, 32.

The motion imparted to the bars andl the blades carried thereby, fromthe motor, isa 1 relatively slow reciprocating motion from front torear, the stroke being about 12 inches.Y The action of thisreciprocating conveyorv will be understood from the following: Y 1

Thecutter chain travels in a counterclockwise, direction, thus carryingthe cuttings outwardly from the lrerf asthe nia"Y chineadvances alongthe mine wall from right to left. The'body of the'machine be-` ing closeto the minewall, the cuttings are carried into the space at the forwardend thereof and discharged the vicinity of the rear end of' the cutterchain.

pushed rearwardly and between the blades of the reciprocating conveyor.vThe rearward stroke ot the blades carries be- As the cuttings accumulatethey are graduallyV tween' them a. quantity of .the cuttings.

When V the end of the stroke is reached the cuttings in front of eachbladeV are dropped and during thereturn stroke the bladesswing upwardlyand ride over the material to the point where the next rearward stroke-is commenced, whereupon the blades `again Vassume a more uprightposition Vinscraping contact with the bottom plate, and carryL forwardthe material, which on the previous stroke had been advancedby theblade, just forwardly thereof. lnj short, the accumulation of cuttingsis constantly moved rearwardly step by step and in small quantities orbatches, which; are successively Vdischarged froin there-ar of' themachine, to be disposed of in any suitable manner, depending on 'thecharacter ,of the cuttings. V

' vVhile vI have shown and described one form in which my invention maybe embodied, it will be understood that the construction and arrangementof the various parts may be altered without departing from. the spiritand scope thereof. Furtliermore, I do not wish to be understood asLarranged' to Vadvance the-cuttings progresf C) sively to said opening; YY I Y 2. A mining machine, comprising ainachine frame, a plate spacedbelow f. saidV lll) ' from saidframe and supporting an endless cutterchain operating to deliver the cuttings into the space between saidframe and plate, and a reciprocating'conveyor in said space andextending from the rear end of said cut-ter chain to an opening at thei'ear of the machine and comprising blades movable in contact with thebottom plate to advance the cuttings progressively from the rear endl ofsaid cutter chain to said opening.

3. vA mining machine comprising a machine frame, a bottom plate spacedfrom said frame, a motor support-ed in said frame, a cutter barextending from the forward end of said frame and carrying a cutterchain,`

means for driving said chain from said motor whereby the cuttingstherefrom are delivered into the space between said frame Vand bottomplate adjacent the rear end of said cutter bar, and a conveyorextending` lengthwise of said machine and within said space from saidcutter bar to an opening at the rear of said space and comprising anendwise reciprocating frame having a series of transverse blades hingedto .swing into and out of contact with the bottom plate and adapted inthe rearward movement to advanceA the cuttings progressively toward saidopening, and mechanism driven by said motor for imparting reciprocating`movement to said frame.

4. A mining machine comprising a machine frame mounted on a bottom platespaced below said frame, a motor supported in said frame, a cutter barextending from the forward end of sai-d frame and carrying a cutterchain in driving connection with said motor, and a conveyor extendinglongitudinally of said space from said cutter bar to an opening at therear of said space'and comprising an endwise slidable frame having aseries of parallel blades spaced apart along said frame and hinged alongtheir upper edges to permit them to swing into and out of contact withsaid bottom plate in the movement of said frame in opposite directions.

.5. A mining machine comprising a machine frame, a bottom .plate spacedfrom said frame, a cutter bar extending from the forward end of saidframe and carrying a cutter chain, a motor supported in said frame andin driving connection with said cutter chain, and a conveyor extendinglengthwise of the machine and within said space between said frame andbottom plate from'said cutter bar to an opening at the rear of saidspace, and comprising an endwise reciprocating frame having a series ofhinged blades extending transversely of said frame and normallypositioned for con-` i tact with the bottom plate in their 'rearward fmovement to advance the cuttings progressively toward said opening, andto swiny upwardly in the forward movement thereof,

and mechanism` driven by` said motor for imparting reciprocatingmovement to said frame. y

6. A mining machine comprising a inachine frame, a bottom plate spacedfrom said frame, a Y motor supported in said frame, a cutter barextending fromithe forward end of said frame :and carrying a cutterchain, means for driving said chain from said motor whereby the cuttingstherefrom are delivered into the space between said framel and bottomplate adjacent the rear end of said cutter bar, and a conveyor extendinglengthwise of said machine and within said space, from said cutter barto an opening at the rear of said space, and p comprising a pair ofendwise slidable bars,

a series of parallel blades hinged between said bars and adapted toswing into and out of contact with said bottom plate to advance thecuttings rearwardly during their stroke in one direction and to rideover the material during the stroke in the opposite direction, anddriving mechanism between said motor and conveyor, comprising crankdiscs i THOMAS E. PRAY.

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